Allegis Partners to Recruit CHRO for The Children’s Place

November 13, 2015 – Global executive search firm Allegis Partners has been retained by The Children’s Place to recruit a chief human resources officer (CHRO). The position is based in Secaucus, NJ, and will report to Jane Elfers, chief executive officer. Leading the search is Mike Bergen, managing partner & global practice leader, HR, and Cher Murphy, managing director, human resources.

Demand for C-level HR executives is rising, according to recruiters specializing in the function, as upbeat U.S. hiring forecasts point to a growing sense of urgency within the HR community to prepare and plan for potential talent shortages.

Recent hiring trends show that a full one-third of companies polled said their organizations were hiring for HR positions, including CHRO. This number is up from 20 percent just 18 months ago.

According to a just released survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, the need for HR expertise increases dramatically with company size. Just one percent of small companies (those with one to 99 employees) are recruiting for HR positions, according to the summer 2015 survey results. On the other end of the spectrum, nearly two thirds (65 percent) of employers with 25,000 or more workers are now hiring for HR jobs.

This research concurs with findings from Hunt Scanlon CHRO surveys which indicate that as large companies bring their more significant executive recruiting work in-house, there is a developing need for top-flight CHROs who can oversee the entire corporate personnel spectrum, from top to bottom.

To meet demand, Allegis Partners has been bolstering its HR practice. Last month, the firm named Robert Lambert as a managing director in the practice at its Orange County office. He joins the firm from Morgan Samuels, where he was a senior client partner.

Earlier this year, Allegis strengthened its HR practice with the additions of Mr. Bergen, a former senior client partner in the human resources practice at Korn Ferry, and Ms. Murphy, previously a partner at Hanold Associates. The firm also expanded its HR practice with the additions of Mark Streifer, who most recently served as vice president of talent acquisition and planning with Covidien PLC, and Matthew Healey, a former partner of CTPartners.

Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media